Flywheel turning tool



Nov. 10, 1953 FLYWHEEL TURNING TOOL W. G. DE KAM Filed June 28, 1950 I N V EN TOR. l'V/zz mm 6. 05/64/14 A free/vi K5 Patented Nov. 10, 1953 UNITED I STATES PATNT OFFICE FLYWHEEL TURNING TOOL William G. De Kam, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Kent-Moore Organization, Inc., Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application June 28, 1950, Serial No. 170,783

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in fivwheel turning tools.

An object is to provide a torque wrench type of tool designed particularly to be used for turning a flywheel or other rotatably supported member and wherein the flywheel is surrounded by a housing which housing closely encircles the periphery of the wheel so that there is only a small amount of clearance between the circumference of the wheel and the interior of the encircling housing.

In certain transmission mechanisms particularly of the fluid type now on the market the clearance between the periphery of the flywheel and the interior of the surrounding housing is very small and it is diflicult to obtain a grip on the flywheel whereby it may be turned. The torque wrench type of tool of this application is so designed that a good grip can be obtained on the periphery of the flywheel to rotate the same.

An object is to provide a flywheel turning tool of the character described which is of simple construction, inexpensive as to cost, of a strong, rugged nature, and which does not include any moving parts and is designed to snugly engage the periphery of a flywheel upon application of torque thereto so that the flywheel ma be readily rotated.

Other objects and meritorious features will more fully appear from the following description, claims and accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig, 1 is a side elevation of a fragment of a flywheel with which this improved tool is adapted to be used and showing the tool in elevation applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 showing the tool partly broken away;

Fig. 3 is a perspective of the tool shown in Figs. 1 and 2 taken from the side opposite to that shown in Fig. 1.

This particular tool is designed specifically to be employed in connection with a flywheel of the which is mounted within a housing that surrounds the flywheel very closely. The space between the periphery of the wheel and the housing i limited.

In Fig. l a fragment of such a flywheel is indicated as it. This flywheel is, of course, rotatably supported. in a conventional manner not shown in the drawing. A part of a housing is indicated at'it. The space between the periphery of the flywheel and the housing indicated as M is a relatively small space.

The tool itself comprises a shank portion I6 turned over at one end as at E8. A plate 20 is secured to the shank in any suitable manner, as by welding, brazing, or the like. This plate 20 has an end portion 22 which is bent over to correspond with and seat against the bent over end E8 of the shank, as shown in the figures. These two end portions i8 and 22 form one of the two rigid jaws which the tool exhibits.

This plate 2% has a laterally offset extension 23 which has a part 24 that is bent over normally to the plane of the shank and the plate, as illustrated particularly in Figs. 2 and 3. This part 24 forms the other jaw of the pair of stationary jaws which the tool exhibits and which cooperates with the end jaw formed by the parts l8 and 22.

This jaw 24 while extending in the same general direction as its cooperating jaw is not entirely in parallelism with its cooperating jaw but is disposed at a slight angle with respect thereto. This angularity is apparent in both Figs. 1 and 3 in which it will be seen that the inner jaw 24 is disposed at such an angle with respect to the outer jaw !8-22 that it presents what might be termed a trailing edge diverging from its cooperating outer jaw as it extends in a direction from its oifset postion toward the shank of the tool.

With the two cooperating jaws arranged generally normal to the plane of the shank but with the inner jaw departing from a completel parallel relationship with respect to the outer jaw, as above set forth and with both jaws relatively flat, thin and wide, it is readily possible to insert the two jaws over the toothed flange 26 of the flywheel ID, as shown in Fig. 2, even though the space between the periphery of the flywheel and the surrounding casing i2 is limited so that when the handle of the tool is swung in the direction of the arrow the jaws wedge against and grip this flange of the flywheel. and exert a torque thereupon which will rotate the flywheel.

What I claim is:

1. A flywheel turning tool comprising a flat elongated torque bar one end of which constitutes a handle and the opposite end of which is bent at an angle normal to the plane of the bar and constitutes the outer part of an outer jaw, a flat plate secured in overlapping relationship to such end of the bar and being disposed in a plane parallel to the plane of such end of the bar, said plate having an outer end portion of the same width as the bar and bent to provide a part which juxtaposes the bent end of the bar and constitutes therewith the complete outer jaw, said plate having an intermediate portion spaced inwardly from the outer end portion and of substantially twice the width of the outer end portion and projecting beyond one side of the bar and having a part bent out of the plane of the plate normal to the plane thereof and to the plane of the bar and generally substantially parallel to the outer jaw but at a slight angle thereto and constituting an inner jaw, said inner jaw being offset the bar on one side thereof but disposed immediately adjacent thereto.

2. A flywheel turning tool comprising a flat elongated torque bar having parallel side edges with one end thereof bent at a right angle to the plane of the bar forming a flat extension having parallel edges which are lineal extensions of the first mentioned edges and constituting the outer part of an outer jaw, a fiat plate fixedly secured to the side of the bar away from which said extension projects and having one end thereof bent at a right angle thereto and juxtaposing the bent end of the bar constituting therewith an outer jaw lying between parallel planes intersecting said side edges of the bar and normal to the bar,

said plate having a second portion lying in the plane of the plate offset transversely of the longitudinal axis of the bar and provided with a part bent at a right angle with respect to the plate and constituting an inner jaw, said inner jaw being offset the outer jaw transversely of the bar and generally but incompletely in parallelism with the outer jaw and disposed at such an angle with respect thereto that it diverges therefrom transversely of the bar as it extends from its offset position toward the bar.

WELIAM G. DE KAM.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 413,750 Fort Oct. 29, 1889 1,058,450 McGowan Apr. 8, 1913 2,491,727 Gotting Dec. 20, 1949 2,539,262 Moore Jan. 23, 1951 

